Book Review: Odd Mom Out
Ever just feel completely out of place?
Odd Mom Out, Jane Porter’s newest novel scheduled for release in September, tackles the age-old dilemma that many women face—be a full-time career woman, or a full-time mom? Sure, this story’s been done many times over, but Porter adds a funky twist to her main character of Marta Zinsser—she’s a former biker babe turned independent advertising exec who is trying to fit in with her new upper-middle class suburban neighborhood, be a single mom to her precocious 9-year-old daughter, Eva, and handle her first true romance in ten years with a drop-dead gorgeous Silicon Valley CEO.
Although Odd Mom Out is a fictional, humorous look at one woman’s struggle with single motherhood, the larger question at the heart of the story is “Where do we truly belong? Don’t we all, in our deepest, darkest selves, want to ‘fit in’?” Marta’s brash, honest demeanor is an immediate clash with her snobby, picture-perfect neighbors. For much of the book, Marta rails against her fellow mothers, who seem to have it all together and look down on anyone who appears not to. She tries her best to remain an “individual”, but finds that she needs to sacrifice a little bit of her individuality in order to make life bearable for her daughter—and for herself.
Marta strives to lead a carefree, creative, unique lifestyle, but as the book goes on, readers learn that she wants a little more of a conventional family life. She finds herself wishing for a husband, a partner, “another adult” as she balances work and motherhood on her own. Her well-meaning “social climber” daughter tries to help her, which creates a riff between them.
Author Jane Porter took some of the story from real life. A single mother herself (she has 2 boys), at the end of the novel, Porter explained that her career as a novelist was seen as a bit unusual by the other mothers in her neighborhood. She invites her readers to celebrate their quirks and embrace the offbeat elements of their lives, and to find a balance between “tradition” and “unconventional”. Porter is also the author of two previous novels, The Frog Prince and Flirting With Forty.
Odd Mom Out allows readers to examine their own lives and ask the questions: At what point do we give in to conforming to some standard, sacrificing the parts of ourselves that are unique? Are those sacrifices worth it in the end? Do we all want the typical 1950’s, June Cleaver lifestyle that dictates “tradition”, whether our families are same sex, opposite sex, stepfamilies, etc.? It's a humorous look at our current idea of what makes a family.
Odd Mom Out makes a perfect summer read for women who are constantly grappling with trying to do it all.
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